SELF-DISCIPLINE

The Oxford Dictionary says that the definition of Self-Discipline is “the ability to control one’s feelings and overcome one’s weaknesses; the ability to pursue what one thinks is right despite temptations to abandon it.”

Self-Discipline doesn’t come easy, and sometimes it’s not much fun. Especially if you’re dealing with some area where there has been no discipline at all, or at least, not for a long period of time. It’s a lot easier to be undisciplined because there’s no work involved, and let’s face it, a lot of us are just plain lazy.

Self-Discipline is a very important thing to have in our lives. It’s important in our work, in our play, in our families, and in our thoughts as well because our thoughts become our actions, and our actions become our character.

Self-Discipline is essential to achieve any vision we may have for the future. If we want to buy something really expensive, we may have to save up the money to buy it. In order to do that we have to be disciplined enough not to spend our money on other things. It takes discipline to get up and go to work every day to make that money. If we want to lose weight, we have to discipline ourselves and not eat too much, or too often, and avoid certain foods and drinks, and don’t skip our exercises.

If you’re working for God, and we all should be, then it’s very important to have self-discipline in our toolbox. Let’s look at just one example of how important this is to God.

Job 36:8-12
8 If they are bound with chains and are caught in cords of affliction; 
9 Then he shows them their work and their sins that they have exceeded. 
10 He also opens their ear to discipline and commands that they return from sinning. 
11 If they obey and serve him, they will spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. 
12 But if they do not obey, they will perish by the sword, and they will die without knowledge.

When we’re doing something wrong, the Holy Spirit tells us. He brings it to our attention so we will stop, and get back to doing what’s right. He commands us to stop sinning, and return to discipline. Sometimes we just don’t listen. Sometimes we don’t want to stop what we’re doing, but these verses tell us that we SHOULD listen, and OBEY his voice. It means the difference between prosperity or failure, and life or death.

It takes Self-Discipline to live a Christian life. It takes discipline to spend time with God each day in prayer and Bible study. It takes Self-Discipline to get out of bed, and get ready, and go to church.

As you can see, Self-discipline is a much-needed, must-have tool. If we fail to have it in our lives, then we will fail to live life to its fullest. This is one of the traits that make a big difference between those who are successful in life, and those who are not. Every single act of progression in life takes Self-Discipline. Never let anyone convince you otherwise.

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© 2016 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

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GETTING COMFORTABLE WITH SIN

Do you remember when you were a young child? Remember when you would get hurt? I sure do. I got hurt a lot when I was young. Most of the time it was because I was doing something I was told NOT to do.

When my children were growing up I observed lots of things they did, and I learned all kinds of lessons from them. I think they taught me as much as I taught them. One thing I observed was their pain threshold. A child cannot endure the same amount of pain that an adult can.

I remember my youngest son touching something made of metal that had been out in the sun and it burned his hand, but when I touched it, it was tolerable to me. Same thing with washing dishes. I could stand much hotter water than my children could because my hands were tougher and I had been used to heat longer than they had. The older you get the tougher your skin gets, and the more it can take.

I’ve been shaving for a lot of years. When I first started my face was tender and I got a lot of cuts. The aftershave would burn so bad at times I didn’t want to use it again. The more I used it though, the more tolerable it became. My face got used to it and built up a tolerance for pain. I guess it got tougher and doesn’t hurt as much as it once did. It was the same when I first started shaving my head. I put rubbing alcohol on it afterward, and I wanted to scream the first few times. Now it hardly bothers me at all.

Some people have chronic pain that never goes away. I have suffered from extreme back pain for many years now. At times it has been almost unbearable. After several years I came to grips with the fact I would never be free from pain again. I’ve learned to live with it and to do what I have to, to deal with it.

I hate the pain. I don’t want it in my life, but I’ve become used to it. I no longer pray every day it will leave like I used to. It has become part of my life that I have incorporated into my daily and nightly routines. I have decided there’s nothing I can do to get free from pain.

That’s how it is with sin. We know we’re not supposed to sin, and when we do it hurts. Baring the consequences, the pain is usually just emotional, but if we’re faced with that temptation again it’s easier to give in, and it doesn’t bother us as much as it did the first time. Eventually, we’re living in that sin, daily. We’ve made it part of our lives, and we no longer pray daily to be free from it. We decide there’s nothing we can do to get free.

The Bible tells us that by looking at Jesus we become like him (2 Corinthians 3:18). In the same way, whatever bad things we look at, we become like that. Some will argue that this is not true, but we see it all the time. You become like the people you hang out with whether they’re good or bad. My grandmother used to say they rub off on you. Ever hear the saying, “If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas?” Ever hear “to be successful you must surround yourself with successful people?” It’s common sense. Whatever we focus on daily, we’re molded and shaped into that very thing.

I know TV and movies aren’t all bad, but the entertainment industry has an agenda other than just entertaining us. If we watch things with cursing and sexual content over and over, we get desensitized and we barely notice it anymore. Pretty soon, we let words slip that should never come out of our mouths, and soon we’re talking and acting just like the world.

Every time we give in to temptation, it becomes easier to sin the next time that temptation comes. On the other hand, every time we resist temptation, it becomes easier to resist that temptation, the next time it comes.

We have to be careful about what we look at, and what we listen to. We need to identify sin and call it by its name. There’s no such thing as a little sin. Sin is sin, and if we don’t identify it and stomp it out, it will take over our lives, and we won’t even know it until it’s too late. Don’t get comfortable with sin.

We need to look at Jesus and get to know him by reading his word and praying to him every day. We need to develop a close personal relationship with him, and he’ll show us what’s right and what’s wrong. Don’t just talk to him, listen to him as well. He’ll tell us when we do something wrong, and he’ll change us into the people he wants us to be; If we’ll only allow him to.

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My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6